Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Windows sucks. It sucks because MSFT is a business, and as such packs every tiny suggestion from every focus group full of fools into their interface - the One Big Giant Executable that is Windows.

Software fails because programmers don't understand code at an abstract level. They write as though "magic" happens - as it seems that way when you program by dragging and dropping and mousing around. So who can blame them? There's no system. No design. No architecture. No specifications. And more than half the projects undertaken are never used in production anyway, by anyone.

Programmers almost invariably fail to realize this though because they are being paid WAY too much for their crapy work by employers who can only evaluate whether the final result looks pretty and doesn't crash. They can't even evaluate by usability.

Employers have no way to know if the coder did a good job. The result of this is huge egos, turf battles and pointless debates about pointless issues where no one actually knows what they're talking about.

But no matter, toss another phone book (learn may latest magic bullet in 24 hours), turn brains off, create a half-assed GUI, no design document, and everyone gets another big raise.

The entire industry is a fraud. And who can blame Indian software sweatshops for laughing at us all the way to the bank.

A fake email saying the the iPhone would be delayed appearently causedApple stock to go down 2% today. Apple has announced that the email wasfake and the iPhone is on time. What do you want to bet that Apple stockfinishes tomorrow even higher than yesterday's level as a net result?

Friday, May 11, 2007

Appearently the problem with the acceptance of DRM technologies is that weconsumers just don't understand how the technology "helps" us. Conciderthis next time you have to jump through a few extra hoops to make aversion of some music (that you paid for and think you "own", or that youpaid for anyway) that you can listen to in you car or at work.

Apparent a maker of copy protection technology is threatening to sueAdobe, Microsoft, Apple and I assume others for failing to include thecompany's DRM technology in content they make available via products Vistaand iTunes. The case they are making, as I understand it, is that notonly is circumventing a DRM scheme a crime under the Digital MillenniumCopyright Act, but failing to include DRM in a media product or deliverysystem constitutes a circumvention! And of course this is harmful toconsumers, er, somehow.

Warning - this message does not include any DRM system protecting yourability to access the two URLs included here. If you use your computer toread that contant, or most any other content for that matter. Or for thatmatter the vast majority or uses of a computer that I can think of... Youmay be circumventing a digital rights management system.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

My PC just popped up a little dialog I haven't seen before. Some installmanager program apparently has the ability to check for updates oninstalled programs that it is configured to check for updates for.

It checked for updates and reported that there were no new updatesavailable. So I clicked "configure", and on that dialog was listedprograms that this install manager program was configured to check forupdates on.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Mbembe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot, and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away.

Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Mbembe was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mbembe and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mbembe couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder.

The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mbembe's legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.